Sunday, May 27, 2012

After
a month long filming schedule crisscrossing the United States from
Nashville to the California desert, shooting has wrapped on the
documentary film Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts, which
tells the story of the unconventional career of the 2-time Grammy
winning hit country songwriter, bluegrass singer, radio DJ, awards show
host and tai chi master.

After a successful fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo, which exceeded the $10,000 target by almost one thousand dollars, Australian based director Jeremy Dylan and producer Chris Kamen journeyed to Nashville in late April to begin the final leg of filming with the acclaimed singer-songwriter.

The filmmakers went behind the scenes with Lauderdale as he recorded a new radio show with longtime collaborator Buddy Miller, performed a marathon array of sets at the 25th Merlefest
in Wilkesboro NC, wrote songs under the light of the super full moon in
historic Pioneertown CA and recorded a new album in a breakneck
recording session at Ben Folds' studio in Nashville TN with a band of 'dream players' that included James Burton and Al Perkins.

This
is the second round of filming for the project, following a trip to
Nashville that director Jeremy Dylan made last June, interviewing Gary Allan, Buddy Miller, Tony Brown, Jerry Douglas, Randy Kohrs and others for the film.

'This has been a wild month' says Dylan. 'We
went from the intimacy of a one on one interview with Elvis in front of
the Spectacular Spinning Songbook to Jim playing Jimi Hendrix songs for
thousands of bluegrass fans at Merlefest. The access we received and
the characters who will populate the finished film are remarkable.'

Sunday, April 15, 2012

After a whirlwind 45 days, the fundraising campaign for our documentary on 2-time Grammy winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale is almost at a close.

To date, $10,848 has been donated from men and woman around from around
the world - from Newcastle to Nashville, Joshua Tree to Sussex. The
project has inspired messages of support and promotion from figures as
diverse as the Americana Music Association, BBC radio personalities Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode on their BBC Radio FiveLive show, NZ music legend Neil Finn, British film critic Boyd Hilton and the iconic actor/author/director/tv personality Stephen Fry.

'The support - financial and otherwise - from folks around the world has been incredibly gratifying' says director/producer Jeremy Dylan. 'It
just shows how many people have connected with Jim and his music. We
can't wait to get back to the States and get to work telling his story!'

The shoot begins next Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. Dylan and producer Chris Kamen will
be shooting with Lauderdale and others in Nashville TN, Wilkesboro NC,
Asheville NC, Statesville NC, Los Angeles CA and Pioneertown CA.
Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts tells the story of hit
country songwriter, Grammy winning bluegrass singer, awards show host,
radio DJ and tai chi master Jim Lauderdale - from his days a trainee
mime, sweating it out in the 80s LA club scene with Lucinda Williams,
his frustrations and false starts in the industry, his classic songs
that became hits for George Strait, Patty Loveless and Gary Allan and his work with artists like Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson, Ralph Stanley and Buddy Miller.
'We've got some really exciting interviews with some of Jim's musical
collaborators and admirers lined up. When you tell people in the
industry you're making a movie about Jim Lauderdale, they can't wait to
talk to you,' says Dylan.

Shooting will conclude at the end of May, with a release tentatively aimed for September/October 2012.

'There's still five hours left to help us fund the film. I've had a
number of people tell me they were waiting for the last minute to make a
final decision. Well, this is the last minute!'

For only $200, you get two tickets any Jim Lauderdale headlining show of your choice, you get to meet Jim at the show, where you can get him to sign your other rewards - a copy of his Grammy nominated Reason and Rhyme album, a Jim Lauderdale poster or 8X10photo and a Jim Lauderdale bumper sticker. You also get a DVD or BluRay of the finished film, HD Digital Download of the film, Access to Exclusive Web Content and your name in the credits of the finished film!

There are other supporter levels still available:
For $40, being a Twang Supporterwill get you: HD Digital download of the film, Access to private web content (exclusive acoustic performances, excised clips, etc.), DVD or HD Blu-Ray of the film, Jim Lauderdale bumper sticker, One 8X10 photo of Jim OR one Jim Lauderdale album poster (signed by Jim).

For $25, being a Hole In My Head Supporter will get you: a HD Digital download of the film, Access to private web content, exclusive acoustic performances, excised clips, etc., DVD or HD Blu-Ray of the film and a Jim Lauderdale bumper sticker!

And for a mere $5, being a Tough All Over Supporterwill get you a HD Digital download of the film and access to private web content, exclusive acoustic performances, excised clips, etc.

You've only got a couple of days left to snag yourself some of these stellar reward packages, so visit the fundraising page and donate HERE.

In other Lauderdale news, it's Jim's birthday today! We'd like to wish the great man best wishes on his birthday and look forward to many more years of brilliant music from him.

It was recently revealed that Jim will be featured on the soundtrack of the new film about bluegrass legend Bill Monroe. The film will star Michel Shannon as Monroe, along side Olivia Wilde, Ed Helms, Tim Blake Nelson, John C Reilly, Sam Shepherd and Ahsley Judd.

Also featured alongside Jim on the soundtrack album are Dierks Bentley, Ralph Stanley, Keb Mo, Vince Gill and Ricky Skaggs.

Soon, producer Chris Kamen and I will be boarding our flights and heading to the US for the second round of filming - back on the LauderTrail!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Please help the film get made by visiting our fundraising campaign here!

Another sell out! All our ‘Honey Songs Supporter’ slots have been
filled. 10 generous music fans will be receiving packs of seventeen of
Jim’s brilliant records. With those slots filled, we’ve launched a brand
new supporter category.

For $200, you can become a ‘Divide and Conquer Supporter’. This nabs
you two tickets to Jim’s next headlining show of your choice, anywhere
in the world. Not only that, you get to meet Jim at the show!
You’ll also get a signed copy of his latest album, the Grammy
nominated ‘Reason and Rhyme’, co-written with the Grateful Dead’s Robert
Hunter.

PLUS a digital HD copy of the film, a DVD or Blu Ray copy of the film, a Jim Lauderdale bumper sticker, a Jim Lauderdale poster and your name in the credits of the film!

We only have ten slots open for this funding option – and the first has gone already – so get in quick!
If you’ve already contribute and want to upgrade to a higher supporter level, don’t worry. Check out how to upgrade here – http://indiegogo.zendesk.com/entries/20517401-h...

Just drop me a line at jeremy@sevenshellsmedia.com, forward me your
funding confirmation email and let me know which perk you want to
upgrade to. I’ll make a note of your chance and all you need to do is
contribute the difference between the cost of your current supporter
level and the one you want to upgrade to.

Thanks for checking out our campaign – and especially to all of you
have donated! We’ve passed the halfway mark with almost three weeks left
to go.

Please help the film get made by visiting our fundraising campaign here!

A documentary film celebrating the unconventional career of 2-time Grammy winner Jim Lauderdale.

'Jim Lauderdale is one of my all time favourite performers' - country icon Buck Owens.

Think you know Jim Lauderdale?Jim Lauderdale: The King of Broken Hearts is a documentary film that tells the unconventional musical journey of Jim Lauderdale - Grammy Award-winning bluegrass singer, hit country songwriter, prolific recording artist, radio DJ, awards show host, harmony singer and guitarist for Elvis Costello and Willie Nelson, tai chi master... Jim Lauderdale's journey from banjo-playing Beatles fan in North Carolina to Americana Swiss army knife takes him through the 1980s 'Urban Cowboy' NYC country club scene, playing James Brown covers in a honky-tonk in LA where he was spotted by Dwight Yoakam's producer, failed albums and record label frustrations before country superstar George Strait sold six million albums with two of Jim's songs and put Lauderdale tunes in the ears of music fans around America.

Who's involved?
Jim's story is told through interviews with Jim, Buddy Miller, Gary Allan, Tony Brown, Jerry Douglas, Randy Kohrs, Odie Blackmon, Jed Hilly, Dennis Crouch, Mike Comptonand more. It also features performances with his country and bluegrass bands from the start of his career through to recent performances in the Snowy mountains of Australia and Nashville's legendary Station Inn.

Who am I?
My name is Jeremy Dylan. I've been lucky enough to know Jim for a few years now, and in early 2011 I approached him with the idea to tell his story. My pitch convinced him and I started putting the pieces together, flying to Nashville in June and shooting the interviews that comprise the film. This leg of filming was entirely self-financed, and therefore I could gather a certain amount of material in the short time I was there. It was enough to produce a 45-minute version of the documentary, which has since been broadcast by Australia's Country Music Channel.

Fundraising
We recently raised over $10,000 through crowdfunding website IndieGoGo. The outpouring of support from Jim's fans around the world was gratifying and inspiring and we are now in the United States, shooting the film in Nashville TN, Wilkesboro NC, Statesville NC, Los Angeles CA, Pioneertown CA and Joshua Tree, NC. We have a lineup of very exciting interviews and can't wait to share the film with the world.

Unlimited Access
This film is a celebration of Jim's life, spirit and talent. It's important to state that while Jim has given us his complete cooperation, including generously supplying much of the archive material you'll see, he's placed no restrictions on content and is letting us tell his story in the best way we can.

So if like us, you're a disciple of the King of Broken Hearts, reach into your pocket and give us a hand. And please spread the word to your friends and fellow music lovers. We sincerely appreciate every contribution made, no matter how small.

About Me

I was born a coal miner's daughter, in a cabin on a hill in Butcher Holler.
These days, I'm a music video, documentary and TVC director/producer/editor from Sydney, Australia. My production company is Seven Shells Media.
In 2011, I released Benjamin Sniddlegrass and the Cauldron of Penguins, my feature debut as a writer/director/producer/editor.
I can be reached at jeremy@sevenshellsmedia.com